Bwaaah!! The Frostman Kinda Cometh!

It's been unseasonably warm here recently--approaching the 80's, and for the last couple of days humid to boot. But our run of frost-free luck is going to run out....abruptly. I've been busy repotting plants to go inside, and putting plants that I purchased recently for the yard in the ground. I've got just one more hanging basket to re-pot, and several garden plants to put in the ground, but I only have until Wednesday basically. Thursday is, of course, Thanksgiving, and that night it's supposed to get down into the mid-30's, then it hovers between the mid and upper 30's into next week. The weather sites have been see-sawing up and down between warmer and colder forecasts, so while as of now it doesn't look like it will technically "freeze," one never knows, and the "Real Feel" forecasts, taking into account wind, cloud-cover, and humidity has it in the low 30's to upper 20's from Wednesday onward into next week. So I'm scrambling. I'd rather not take chances with my tropical hibiscuses, citrus, and the cacti/succulents that are in shallow dishes.

So, repotting and putting things in the ground is not all---I have to make space for the plants in the house, which has meant, among other things, priming and painting the ceiling beams in the new room. That took me alllllll day on Saturday, and I put in two hooks for ferns, but I need to put in more hooks in the other beams, and use my "stud-finder" to find the extra support stud my contractor placed between the roof joists, so I could hang plants from the ceiling in front of the picture windows. (The way the decorative beams were place due to the two ceiling fans means that they actually fall on either side of the picture window and to one side of the sliding door, so don't take in the most direct sunlight.) The accounting of hanging baskets and placement of hooks must continue apace today, but since it's so nice and humid out, I probably won't bring a lot of the plants in until tomorrow. Which is just as well, since I'll probably also have to make room in the completely junked-out guest bedroom to provide temporary shelter (I still haven't finished working on refinishing the floor and the furniture is all shoved to one side of the room and stacks of stuff everywhere).

I say temporary for two reasons. One is that we are making plans to go to San Antonio this weekend to take in the holiday barge/float parade that goes on in the river that goes through town (don't get me started--I still don't have reservations, and I'm not sure whether we need tickets for seating for the event or whether we'll take the chance that we can just show up as pedestrians and see anything). And since Thursday, I may or may not be having the BIL's family over for dinner, but will be cooking either way, everything basically has to be put away inside or covered in plastic outside by the end of the day Wednesday--not to mention packing for San Antonio. Gulp! But once the Thanksgiving weekend is over, it looks like it might moderate enough to put some things back outside with or without the arrival of.................................

THE GREENHOUSE I ordered online from Wal-mart!
I ordered this baby, which I have dubbed The Big-Ass Greenhouse because it is 10' x10' and 8' high in the middle, last week, and it should arrive at my local store between the 28th and the 4th. ARGH. I wish I had ordered it earlier, but time has been really creeping up on me all unawares this year, with the unseasonably warm weather. My massage therapist freaked me out last Monday by reminding me that Thanksgiving was THIS week, and as of last week I was still expanding garden beds. Early last week I was mulling over rigging up the front porch with plastic like I did last year for the hardy to semi-hardy potted plants, but that was a huge pain in the ass, basically behaving like a giant sail every time we had high winds. To be truly effective and less of a chore to maintain for three months, I'd have to build a substantial frame-work-- PLUS figure out how to attach it to the house without damaging the new siding, or make it stand independently. I thought about that for about 48 hours and then said "SCREW IT!!!" and went online to look for greenhouses. This was was at a significantly marked-down price compared to it's online competition, and for the size I could not beat the under-$200 price. Then I read the stellar reviews, and I was sold. The way I see it--my time and peace of mind, not to mention the survival of my plants and the de-cluttering of my house, is totally worth the price.

But in the meantime, we've just got to get through the next week or so.....

UPDATE: Well, the San Antonio trip was scuttled--just had too much to do and too little time--as well as too little guarantee we'd get good seating. We really need to get the house in some sort of order before the holidays, so we'll work on that this weekend, and perhaps go to SA some other weekend in Dec. (there will be caroling and lights on the river every weekend). We'll see.... Meanwhile, my sanity is somewhat restored now that Turkey day is over.

But the good thing is, I picked up the greenhouse this afternoon and we put it together!!! Got about half my plants in there now, and the rest can wait until tomorrow as they are currently under plastic sheeting. Will post pics----that sucker is freakin' BIGGER than the backyard shed!!!!!


Warm sunny Monday--vent and door open:
Here's my trees, shrubs etc, back row from left: (white pot) pepper, mandarin orange, olive, Mexican lime, bay laurel, strawberry pot of herbs. Front row from left (blue pot) gardenia, strawberries, Queen of the Nile (lily-like), avocadoes, lettuces.

Left: green and red leaf lettuces and spinach, bonsais on the rack, and some larger potted plants.

Stars Align to Produce More Succulents!

Well, Annabelle raved about this cacti and succulent site, Aridlands--now on sidebar, and I went to look at it immediately, but was overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of their offerings and a dizzying array of Latin names. I'm new to the whole cactus thing, and although I already had a bit of succulent (wah-wah) mania, until I moved to Tejas it was easy to keep it under control, 'cause I just didn't have enough space to keep them in the house half the year. I've got lots of cacti now--some known, and some unknown (the problem when you purchase from Big Box stores is that they are often not labelled or incorrectly labelled), which I need to get on here for A's perusal at some point, but I just did a whole re-potting thing of the cacti and succulent planters getting ready for the winter move in-house and also took a whole new round of pictures, which will have to be processed. Oy.

Anyhoo, I just got the Dec/Jan issue of Horticulture, and damn if they didn't have a series of fascinating articles and pictorials on Agaves, Aloes, Hoyas, AND rock gardens. It was a perfect storm, I tell you! I fell in love with a picture of the compact Agave Victoriae-Reginae, and decided I HAD TO HAVE IT!!!!! And really, who wouldn't want it? It's supposed to eventually get to 2 ft x 2ft, which is good for my, ahem, slightly congested flower beds, and it should be hardy here (the article said zones 8-10), although if you go here to look at Gardenweb member photos of this plant, there is a totally awesome picture of one in a pot... Feverishly, I skipped to the back of the maggie to see where I could buy this specimen, and lo and behold it said Aridlands!!!
Wooohoooooooo!

So then I looked for something else to round out my purchase (and justify the shipping cost), and on the page with the Queen Vic Agave there was a list of other plants people purchased, and it included a Hoya kerii----hmmm, didn't the magazine have an article on hoyas?? It did, so I perused that and decided I'd have to give this neato plant a try (although I'm sad that Aridlands only had the one variety, perhaps they'll get more eventually). This has succulent, heart-shaped leaves (hence the nickname Sweetheart Hoya), it forms vines, and has really cool blooms that look like this:
They don't need a lot of water or a lot of light = perfect houseplant.

Succulent Circus

Annabelle--you inspired me with your email! It's raining today so I couldn't take a lot of pictures outside, but I took a few, brought a couple inside to pore over their labels (and in some cases figure out what ones sans label were), and found some pictures from earlier this summer. The succulent I talked about with a caudex which is trying to grow new leaves is an Aeonium but it's out in the middle of the wet yard. So here it goes:

Gasteria

Echeveria [left] Subsessillis, [middle] 'Doris Taylor', [back] 'Perle von Numberg'

Echeveria 'Pink Frills'
(see the little pools and droplets of water from this mornings' rain? Awww!)

Sedum 'Burrito'
This is the ultimate "wah-wah"--that's right, you know you want to do it!
Pinch it and go "Wah-Wah"!

Aloe 'Mosaic' and some form of hens'n chicks style succulent that I think you gave me. This picture is from July and the aloe is bigger now, but hasn't outgrown the pot.Also from July--the faux stone plant did not survive--I have the worst luck with these; they always rot on me. But anyway, in the back is an Adromischus, the label calls it a "Cameo Plant" but I've seen it called "Plover's Eggs" online, either way it's pretty cool. Also two Anacampseros telephiastrum 'variegata' from South Africa

Fall Wildflower Sale

Himself and I shelled out our $50 at the sale last spring to become members of the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center. It gets us in free for a year (to there and other botanic gardens around the US), AND we get to come to the Member's Only day at the Wildflower Sale. Himself got a half day off--which was great 'cause I hate to drive into Civilization by myself (the traffic! the construction! the new tolls!). And for being a good sport, he got to go to a nearby winery afterward. But anyway, here's the haul:

• Lace Hedgehog Cactus (Echinocereus reichenbachii) --I also have a couple other varieties of this in pots--this one is like a little two-headed mushroom--so cute
• Blackfoot Daisy (Melampodium leucanthum) I love these--planted some in the spring and they are tough little buggers, and so cheerful! They are in the Aster family.
• White Leadwort (Plumbago scandens)--I have some blue plumbago in a dry shade bed out back--this will join it along with ajuga, turks caps and a few hostas--and will probably be much better suited too. I'm actually pretty happy about the height as it will help graduate in size nicely between the above.
• Scarlet Penstemon (Penstemon triflorus)--This is going in the front Sage Bed that I'm expanding--it's mostly reds and hot pinks with some whites, blues, and a dash of yellow. Will increase the appeal for both hummingbirds and bees which already frequent it.
• Heath Aster (Symphyotricum ericoides)--This is another aster with white flowers against ferny grayish foliage. It's a host for the Pearl Crescent butterfly. The pic is one I took of a Pearl Crescent on the Prairie Fleabane I bought at the last sale.
  
• Tulipan del Monte or Heartleaf Hibiscus (Hibiscus martianus)--Like I need another hibiscus!!! But it's my latest passion...anyhoo this variety is supposed to be able to survive in the ground here if properly mulched.
• Pitcher Sage or Blue Sage (Salvia azurea var. grandiflora)
  
• 
• Zexmenia or Texas Creeping Ox-eye (Wedelia texana)--YES, it's another Aster! With gold to pumpkin-orange flowers. Really precious--but tough--grows everywhere around here. Larval Host for the Bordered Patch shown left.
• Spice Lily (Manfreda maculosa) --I'd gotten one of these last year but it was reeeeeallly small and is in a pot. On Members day they still had a nice selection, and I got a nice big one I intend to put in the yard. I can't wait for one of these to flower as they are supposed to be very fragrant--hence the name. Also the bigger they are the more noticeable the spots are--so far mine are very light.
• Fall Aster -- Ahhhh, reminds me of Up North, but apparently they grow well here too. It's also a needed cool color that I use to cool reds or oranges.
• Purple Milkweed Vine (Matelea biflora) -- larval host for monarch butterflies. Lookit the purple-brown flowers--aren't they the Coolness??
• Mealy Blue Sage (Salvia farinacea) -- I have some of this somewhere--it's an excellent foil for all the red sages I have, and I love the silver foliage.
  
• Guajillo (Acacia berlandieri)-- Like I need another tall-growing shrup (this could be anywhere up to 15 feet!). Actually there IS space along the street-side of the back yard but the soil will need major improvement for better drainage, and there's trees to cut down back there, BUT this at least like arid conditions, so I wouldn't have to water it much once established (it's in the mimosa family--and I have a mimosa borealis). However, when I read that the "white-to-cream-colored flowers (yellowing with age) grow in ball-like clusters and are quite fragrant" as well as "a source of heavy light-colored honey rated by many as the best in the state," I was enchanted and placed it in my cart before the spell could wear off. It's also a host for the Long-tailed Skipper butterfly, which I saw in the Center's gardens but did not get a decent shot of... Meantime, it can go in a pot.

• Finally I have a Mystery Plant==it came home sans tag and for the life of me I can't remember what it is! I have sent a picture to "Ask Mr. Smarty Plants"--the online answer-service run by the Wildflower Center to see if they can ID it for me--I need to know where to plant it!!!
• Update: It's a Cardinal Feather (Acalypha radians)

Autumn Dreaming:Bulbs

It has so freakin' hot and humid for sooooo long and the weather keeps forecasting a break and then pushing it back. Ugh. It never got crazy hot this year in the 100's like other years, but you try 90's with 70 percent humidity for a while and you'll be wishing for a nice dry heat. Oh, well, the latest forecast is for lower humidity by Thursday and a beginning to dip into the upper 60's at night.

So, in wild anticipation of all the garden bed expansion I've been putting off for this vaunted cool front, I ordered bulbs from McClure & Zimmerman today. Not nearly so many as I'd have ordered Up North, but things that will naturalize well here, and that I cannot find in these parts:

Wild Tulips For Deep South (No cold period required; 6 each of):

• Tulipa sylvestris: "Sweet scented and multiflowered Yellow with a hint of green on outer petals which curl curiously. Pendant in bud, flowers upright." (Hmm, I ordered the collection then when I went to see these individually, they said they were no longer available--wonder if they've sold out everything BUT what's in the collections, or if they'll be sending me a replacement?)
  
• Tulipa bakeri "Lilac Wonder": "Rosy-lavender, large circular lemon-yellow base, anthers yellow." (pictured right)
• Tulipa clusiana var. chrysantha: "Deep yellow, reverse outer petals are crimson with or without a yellow edge."
• Tulipa clusiana:"This selection of the species is cream inside, outside cream with a broad red band from top to bottom, deep purple center."
• Tulipa saxatilis: "Rosy-lilac with a yellow base. This wild Cretian species needs poor soil, moderate winter and hot summer." (Wow--apparently we've got the same conditions as Crete!)

Fall-blooming Crocus (These will be the first fall-bloomers I'll have planted here, and I'll be interested to see when and how long they'll bloom):

• Crocus laevigatus fontenayi: "A fine little Greek species. Blooming in December to February, it may need a sheltered location. Purple-feathered, buff-colored buds open flat to reveal a starry, rose-lilac center. Scented like freesia." (right)
  
• Crocus pulchellus: "Lilac flowers with a deep yellow throat and white anthers rise without leaves around the end of September. The honey-scented blooms have a satiny texture. From the Balkan peninsula."

I'll round these out by buying more at the Big Box Stores--daffodils, muscari, hyacinths, spring-blooming croci, etc. I've had really good luck with having those come back each season.

Civilization Garden/Nursery Run

Today we dodged downpours and went to all kinds of cool plant-related things. Made our traditional pilgrimage to "It's a Jungle" for their out of bloom orchid sale first. I found a cute button fern and a fabulous small-leafed begonia there first (will have to add pics). But almost walked out when I read her sign on the counter with the out of bloom Paph's pointing out the ones for $15---they were sick: chlorotic and with seriously disabled roots (probably overwet and rotted) . I asked the lady's husband if those were the only ones in the sale Really, and that I was not about to pay even $15 for a plant that was likely to die. He went and got the missus who said yes, many of the rest of the counter were included in the sale, but seriously bridled when I pointed out the ones she had in that special section (I'm assuming this is her regular sale site, or dump, for dying orchids--someone who knew orchids reeeeeally well and had an ideal situation for them might keep them alive long enough to grow new roots, but they would have died immediately for the average person, and probably for an expert too). She got seriously defensive, and we almost walked out then and there, but I had come for an orchid, and if I could pick through the rest I would. So's I did, and came away with what is sure to be a very dark purple one: (Magic Flame X Onyx) x Mad Maud. We'll see--at least this one is green with healthy roots.

ANYWAY. On we went on the annual pilgrimage to Pots'n Plants which is known for, well, besides its fabulous collection of pots and plants, putting out dozens of pink flamingos on its property half the year and plastic penguins the rest of the year; this year I really wanted to get pics of the flamingos since I already had ones of the penguins. And yaaaaayyy, they were out!
Oh, and I, uh, got some plants too:

• Calliandra haematocephala or Red Powderpuff, check it out--so cute!
  
• Variegated Hibiscus 'Snow Queen', which has beautiful white and green foliage and red flowers

These are both tropical and the flowers are the same color so I want to plant them together--now if I can just figure out which pot (I have some serious re-potting coming up)....

Next we went to the Natural Gardener, and I honestly can't say enough good things about this place. They had soooo many plants and all very healthy, everything from vines to shrubs to herbs to roses, as well as annuals and perennials. And to top that, they had beautiful plantings all around and fountains and garden statuary. I went totally nuts photographing butterflies on their bee-balm (on left is a Pipevine Swallowtail), echinacea, and mist-flowers. Here I only got some Spicy Italian and Cuban oregano, but I wish I had a whole new place to landscape so I could come down with a truck. Oh, and as the name suggest, they have all kinds of organic soil amendments, fertilizers and insect/disease sprays. If you ever go to a nutty-crunchy organic nursery and see "Ladybug" brand products, that is made here. Got a big ol' bag of "greensand" to add iron to our chlorotic lawn (all the rain), and an organic fertilizer concentrate.

Next we drove down to Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center--through quite a spot of rain I might add, it was still sprinkling when we started walking around but stopped shortly. A lot of things were past their peak bloom, except for "Big Red" sage (which is very tall, but in fact purple), echinacea, and partridge pea, which I was unfamiliar with, but it has very pretty yellow flowers, and is a native self-seeding annual that will attract hummingbirds and butterflies (see left). We'll be heading back down there in the fall for the native plant sale.

A good time was had by all, especially after Himself got to stock up on gourmet beers and cheese, plus dinner at Whole Foods....then the long drive back to Hell's Half Acre. Sigh.

July Expansion Plans

Well it may be the dog-days of summer, but I still have garden plans! One is expanding one of the little beds off of the patio we made out in the yard last summer. I picked up a couple of great hostas at a Big Box store. One is an unknown with wide cream margins (on the right, A, can you identify?), which I planted in a current bed, and I have 'Guacamole' in a pot awaiting transplantation to the expansion. Both have big-ass flower stalks right now--lavender for unknown and white for 'Guac'. I may also move one or two hostas from another bed that are being overrun by 'Chocolate Chip' ajuga. I currently have a couple of aloes out there which may get moved out into the expansion to have more room, but I also want to put one of the three promotional 'Early Amethyst' Beautyberries back there (the birds love 'em).
In bed: (background) Texas Persimmon, (right) Beautyberry, (front) Guacamole Hosta
In pots: (left) Oxalis 'rubra' & aloe, (front) juniper bonsai, (left) cactus & aloe, (back) birdbath made from saucer of stones on top of pot

The other thing I'm planning is actually a new bed, but it has to wait until AFTER the construction of the new room on the back of the house is done, 'cause I want to put it on the corner. Basically it'll be a small bed anchored by a purple, fragrant, purple climbing rose, 'Night Owl,' which will be trellised against the wall, plus I have a really pretty peachy daylily, 'Razzmatazz' Echinacea (coneflower; pictured below left), and little baby apricot dahlias. (the rest are in pot above left--there's also a purple African daisy in there but it's not blooming now).
Right now most of this is in a pot awaiting the lonnnnng-awaited room, but I need to repot the coneflower (probably in one of the pots I empty doing the other expansion). I must say, Lowe's has had some pretty nice coneflowers lately; which is bad for me, 'cause I can't stop buying them. Not only did they have 'Razzmatazz' (which is too cute), but also 'Primadonna White', which I planted in front at the base of the white climbing rose. They also had one of those orange series, like 'Sunset' that I like so much and had bought already online--for much more money. Oh well, who knew??

Peony Envy!

BWAH!!!! Lookit!!!

This is "Kopper Kettle," and, unfortunate spelling choice aside, it one of a variety is a cross-breed between herbaceous and tree peony--Who knew?

Mind you, it's really not cold enough here for herbaceous peonies, but I do have three tree peonies in pots. Two came down with us in the move, and have so far just been recovering--they leaf out but haven't bloomed since the move. One was a 'freebie' that I got with a bunch of perennials lately--the 'freebies' were mixed-bag, and I ended up with (according to the label) an orange one--which, if it actually is orange, and actually blooms, will be great, as the other two are purple (and I have quite a few orange/purple mixes around and about). That one arrived dry-root with some swelling leaf buds and has leafed out quite admirably in about a week--but then it's also rained almost every day, and I'm sure that helps.

ANYWAY, I said all that to say this---that is an absolutely fabulous color, and it supposedly withstands heat and humidity, thus I would, in a fit of optimism and covetousness, SO purchase the hybrid pictured above, but for its currently outrageous price tag. Ah, well, I can dream...

I just Googled it to see if I could find other dealers, growers comments or pictures of it in people's gardens, and it appears that most people out there are actually still looking for them and asking questions about them like me. Oh, and the first two hits were from forums on Dave's Garden, but when you click on the Google option you are taken to a page where you are informed that only "PAID subscribers" to Dave's Garden can access the responses to the questions. And how much is a paid subscription, you ask? Why it is a mere $19.95 per year. Shooot! I refuse to pay that much for magazine subscriptions! I've also noticed that the site only allows people to perform 10 free searches a day---and it counts them down for you! Even if you come back later after being off-line and everything, so they obviously collect your IP address. Well, frankly, this chaps mine arse, and they can quite frankly kiss it before I head over to GardenWeb, where one registers for use of the forums, but no money is extorted---sheez!

This UK web-site has a wealth of information about the history of the hybrid varieties as well as of "Kopper Kettle" which was bred by a breeder in Wisconsin--some very nice pictures too.

June Flower-bed expansion

Here's an extension of a bed that I put in the first week of June (basically right before the folks came for a visit). I had a Texas Mountain Laurel (these have wysteria-like purple flowers in spring that smell like grape kool-ade, but they are really slow growers) in a back bed that was not getting enough sun, so I figgered I'd move it--and well, I couldn't just stick it out in the middle of nowhere and nothing could I?

So I expanded the bed beside the porch. There's lots of stuff in there, besides the two crape myrtles that were there when we moved. (I still want to dig those up and move them; they are too close to the house, but when? where? and how to do it without digging up the rest of the garden? Suffice it to say it's a big job, which is why it hasn't happened yet... There's a huge pink mum in there along with blue mistflower and Souvenir de Malmaison rose, etc., etc. So after I rototilled and raked and amended the soil, I actually took some things out of the previously existing bed to help extend the line, including two dwarf yaupon hollies, and moved a mini rose that was getting too crowded by the mum, and a pink and white flowered salvia gregii ("Theresa") that was being overshadowed in the back of the bed. Several other mini roses came from spots in the backyard that weren't getting enough sun.


But I also got some new things, including purple trailing lantana, Victoria White salvia, Purple Autumn sage (salvia greggii), Blue Mist spirea, Silver Mound artemisia, and Sedum "Rupestre Angelina" (a chartreuse-colored creeping sedum). Oh, and some daylily and dahlia bulbs in shades of purple and lavender half-off from Lowes. This should be a butterfly paradise...

They love the lantana! Below is the beautiful "Joan Senior" daylily blooming in the older part of the bed, with "Sky Blue" asters behind it.

Highcountry Gardens

I've found a new favorite online plant source: Highcountry Gardens (it's on the Sidebar), which is located in Santa Fe, NM, and specializes in plants for xeriscaping (gardening w/o much water) and generally plants that do well in the West (although--many of their perennials are cold hardy and can be grown North and East of here) You would not believe how many varieties of lavender they sell, and they have lots of things that attract butterflies and hummingbirds (both of which are regulars to our yard), not to mention my latest obsession: cacti. Here's what I ordered for my garden and just arrived today (goody, goody!).

Digitalis Obscura or Narrow-Leaf Foxglove

A rugged perennial species from the mountains of Spain, Digitalis obscura is very different from the woodland Foxgloves commonly offered. The brown and yellow bell-like flowers are strangely attractive; the upright woody stems and lily-like leaves are also ornamental. Plant Digitalis obscura in full or partial sun in lean to average garden soils (not too much compost) and water deeply but not too frequently.
Zones 5-9

Liatris Punctata or Gayfeather

[Now mind you, this grows wild along the road-sides south of here, but darned if I couldn't find it in any nurseries---even Wildseed Farm when we went down there (and darned if I wanted to start it from seed). Butterflies love it.]

Native to the western short grass prairies of the Great Plains and foothills of CO and NM, Liatris punctata is the most xeric of our Gayfeather species. Deep rooted and long lived, this species is the best choice for xeriscapes. Grows in a wide range of soils, including dry clay. Zones 4-8.

Salvia Reptens or West Texas Grass Sage

An amazing native sage originally collected in the Davis Mountains of west Texas by plantsman Pat McNeal. The stiff stems have fine-textured foliage that gives the plant a wonderful grassy appearance. But come late summer, the numerous cobalt blue flowers remind you that it is a very special flowering sage. The foliage is pungently scented and resists browsing animals.
Zones 5-10

Achillea serbica or Serbian Yarrow

[I also have 'Cerise Queen' Yarrow, which has bright pink flowers with yellow centers; for whatever reason I'm kinda 'meh...' about the yellow yarrows.]

This diminutive species is one of the most rugged and xeric of the yarrows. The slow-growing plants gradually form low, tight, gray mats of narrow evergreen leaves. The white flowers are numerous and very attractive. Easily grown in any well-drained soil, Serbian Yarrow is excellent for hot, dry south and west facing slopes. Zones 4-9.

Delosperma 'Mesa Verde' or Ice Plant

Forms a dense mat of succulent, green leaves and makes a fantastic, vigorous groundcover. Pink from late Spring through early Fall. Helps cool down hot, gravel mulched areas.

Gymnocalycium bruchii

[I am so planting the following two cacti with the Ice Plant above--pretty in pink!)

One of the most cold hardy South American species, this small barrel-type plant forms clusters of low, thick growing stems covered with white spines. The large flowers are an unusual shade of lavender-white. Zones 6-10.

Escobaria leei or Lee’s Dwarf Snowball

This plant clusters quickly, forming a small clump of 20 to 40 tiny pure, white stems. As the plant matures, it covers itself with a profusion of salmon pink flowers that appear in late spring. Plant on a south or west facing slope, wedged between some rocks where it can receive sharp drainage and maximum sunlight. Zones 4-9.

How the Garden Grew in April

April was a bumper month for blooming. Probably all the rain. The downside was that my allergies went nuts--but I blame that on the tree pollen and the mold/mildew count! It's funny--now by May some things are done blooming already: the irises and most of the amaryllises, along with the first flush of roses and clematis.

Iris and Francis
(these irises came with the house, Francis is an addition)

Iris "Spartan"

Cute "puffballs" on the mimosa shrub I planted out front.

Clematis "Multi-Blue"

Clematis Texensis "Pagoda"

"Hot Cocoa" Rose

This red rose also came with the house.
I think it's a hybrid tea--and it smells fabulous!


Climbing Kennedy Rose
Here's part of the border garden around the front porch. I just added a trellis for the rose to grow up, seeing as I removed the wrought iron pillars it was on before. Lots of pots and hanging baskets, and a very popular set of hummingbird feeders too.

Amarylli

My amaryllises (amarylli?) went nuts this April. Love, love, love that they survive in the ground here and that I'm not lugging them in and out of the house over the winter... I brought some with me and have collected some others since arriving--I do have a thing for them...

Not sure what the above are---Annabelle, tell me if you know, or mebbe I'll look them up at some point.

Above is "Charisma"

This is one of the bulbs Annabelle sent me to escape her Narcissus bulb fly infestation; it is "Pink Diamonds" and is quite spectacular.

Above and below are the amaryllises that I found already in the yard (around the base of the silk tree in front) and is incorporated into the large flower bed I made. I have no idea what variety this is, but they are super cute, and I've seen them around and about in the neighborhood.